Xbox Series X

The Xbox Series X is a home video game console developed by Microsoft and released on November 10, 2020. It belongs to the fourth generation of Xbox consoles and launched alongside the less powerful Xbox Series S. Microsoft presented the Series X as its flagship system, with a design built around a tall, black tower and a disc drive for playing compatible physical games and films.

Its main processor is a custom AMD chip combining an eight-core Zen 2 CPU with an RDNA 2 GPU rated at 12 teraflops. The console includes 16 GB of GDDR6 memory and a 1 TB custom NVMe solid-state drive. That drive supports faster loading and a feature called Quick Resume, which lets players suspend several games and switch between them without restarting each one. The Series X also supports hardware-accelerated ray tracing, variable refresh rate, and output up to 4K resolution at 120 frames per second in supported games and on compatible displays.

The console continues Microsoft’s backward-compatibility approach. It can run many games made for the original Xbox, Xbox 360, and Xbox One, although compatibility varies by title. Some older games receive technical improvements such as higher resolution, smoother frame rates, or reduced loading times. Xbox One accessories, including many controllers, also work with the Series X.

Microsoft’s Xbox Game Pass subscription is closely associated with the platform. First-party Xbox games, including titles from studios owned by Microsoft, have often been made available through Game Pass on their release date. The Series X is also part of the Xbox ecosystem that includes Windows gaming and cloud streaming, though available features depend on subscriptions, regions, and network conditions.

The console does not have a single defining game or story. Its library includes games from Microsoft’s studios, such as Halo Infinite, Forza Horizon 5, and Microsoft Flight Simulator, as well as releases from independent and third-party publishers. Halo Infinite continues the science-fiction series’ focus on Master Chief and the conflict surrounding the Halo installations. Forza Horizon 5 takes place in a fictionalized Mexico and combines open-world driving with events across varied environments. These games are also available on other supported Xbox and Windows platforms, so they are not exclusive to Series X hardware.

The Series X’s launch price in the United States was $499.99. Its name and tower-shaped design distinguish it from the Xbox Series S, which is smaller, less powerful, and lacks a disc drive. Together, the two consoles marked Microsoft’s move into a generation centered on solid-state storage, cross-generation compatibility, and access to games across multiple devices.